He points out that despite years of taster days, mentoring, bursaries and summer schools, students from poor backgrounds are even less likely to get into one of the elite universities than they were 15 years ago.

Then he comes up with a plan that really would change all that. Actually it's a pretty old proposal put forward by journalist Peter Wilby (of whom more later). But, intriguingly, it's foolproof.

Report card

Free schools? The Tories have spun a cosy picture of parents running local schools. But it won't be like that, says Peter Wilby. What they are really doing is opening the door to private companies

What do students really want? More time with their tutors? More practice papers for exams? Actually, no. It's luxury loos that leave them flushed with pride

On the margins

Photograph: Sarah Lee

Cereal murder You cook it too long, it goes soggy. Hooray for the Improbable Researchers who've come up with variety of ways to ensure a pleasurable consistency. Um, including ice cream.

Quote of the week

"Schools should treat mobile phones as if they are offensive weapons. They are proving as dangerous as weapons because of what can be done with them in terms of what can be put on the internet and making allegations against teachers on the internet."

What you said

There was a huge response to Nick Gibb's remark about preferring an Oxbridge graduate with no PGCE as a physics teacher to a qualified teacher with a degree from a "rubbish university".

Here are some of our favourites.

From pmcrek:

"Oh I'm all for this, there are plenty of schools in Glasgow where I would love to see someone with the chips massively stacked thoroughly in their favour for their entire life stand in front of a classroom with no training or experience."

RickoShea:

"No doubt we shall get more leaked gems of this kind from left-leaning civil servants who wish to discredit their new masters. I don't want to go out on a limb for Mr Gibb, but who seriously believes that all universities (or their courses) are of equal quality? His mistake was to utter the dreaded words "Oxford and Cambridge", which invariably bring forth accusations of elitism. (This country must be the only one which applauds elitism in sport but condemns it in education.)"

And Izwiz:

"I was unlucky enough to be taught physics by an Oxbridge graduate (ex-Blue Streak project) and failed my A-level. Some years later, I acquired an OU degree, a teaching qualification and an MA from Southampton - all with help from people who were good teachers, rather than knowledge-transmission idiots."